


Spells.

by heyitsnxel



Series: 30 Trope Prompts. [20]
Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M, Magical Realism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-21
Updated: 2018-06-21
Packaged: 2019-05-26 07:10:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14995544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heyitsnxel/pseuds/heyitsnxel
Summary: Okay, so maybe Phil was a little bit in love with his best friend.And like people always say, love makes you do crazy things, right?So, maybe his actions were completely justified.Maybe he didn’t make a stupid decision that possibly could ruin everything.Or maybe he did.





	Spells.

**Author's Note:**

> day 20: magic spell

Okay, so maybe Phil was a little bit in love with his best friend.  
And like people always say, love makes you do crazy things, right?  
So, maybe his actions were completely justified.  
Maybe he didn’t make a stupid decision that possibly could ruin everything.

Or maybe he did.

 

* * *

 

Phil could remember the day he realized he was undeniably in love with Dan like it was yesterday. They had just gotten out of class and were on opposite sides of the University campus when his phone had buzzed in his pocket.

 

_**Dan: Got plans today?** _   
_**Phil: Nothing I can’t put off.** _   
_**Dan: Meet me at the fountain when you’re out of class.** _   
_**Phil: OTW.** _

 

Dan was already sitting on the edge of the fountain by the time Phil was walking up. He had an earbud in one ear, looking down at his phone. The sun brightly shone down on him, reflecting off the water and sending an array of sunbeams across his skin. Phil nearly tripped over his own feet just from staring at Dan alone. It only got worse when he looked up and the most beautiful, dimpled grin spread across his face.

 

“I actually beat you here for once. What is the world coming to?”

 

“Hah. Yeah, I guess your bad habits of never being on time are rubbing off on me, Howell.”

 

Somehow Phil forced his vocal chords to work as he flopped down on the concrete next to him. Dan had shoved his phone is his pocket and his undivided attention was on Phil. Not for the first time, but this time, it had his heart skipping beats.

 

“Don’t you have another class today?” Phil asked, forcing himself to look at the gravel under his shoes.

 

“Ugh,” Dan groaned. Phil saw him leaning back out of the corner of his eye and fought the urge to move him back upright, so he wouldn’t topple over into the fountain. “Don’t remind me. French was such a bad choice. Who was I kidding when I picked that?”

 

Luckily for Phil’s sanity, Dan leaned forward and started digging around through his bag. The pins across the front clinked together as the dark fabric folded forwards. He pulled out a black plastic bag and tossed it in Phil’s direction.

 

Naturally, he fumbled with it and almost dropped it (much to Dan’s amusement).

 

“I got you something.”

 

Phil eyed the plastic bag in his hand. There was something worrying about the fact he couldn’t see through it. His expression must have given him away, because Dan laughed and rolled his eyes.

 

“It’s not bad, I promise. I just… It made me think of you and your… Just open it.”

 

Pulling the bag open, Phil could hardly hide his shock at what was inside. It was the most beautiful set of tarot cards he had ever seen. The box looked like it had been painted with watercolors, blues and pinks swirling together with a hint of glitter mixed inbetween. Dan was looking at him expectantly, lip caught between his bottom teeth.

 

“You can do me later.” Dan started, his face turning crimson in a split second. “Like the cards, not me me.”

 

Phil couldn’t even find it in himself to tease him about it. He could barely force out the choked ‘thank you’ that seemed to be enough to please Dan. He shot Phil a smile, tossing his bag over his shoulder.

 

“Gotta go. Text me when you’re back in your room. As the French say, Ciao!”

 

With a two finger salute, he was gone. Leaving Phil next to the fountain cradling the box of cards to his chest.

 

It was more than just a gift. Over the course of their friendship, Dan had never held back when talking about his lack of faith in magic and psychics and things similar. On more than one occasion, he’d gone on a long winded rant about the faults in their practices. It was one of the many reasons Phil had hesitated so long to tell him that he – and a lot of his family – were practicing psychics. When had had, Dan had just hummed. His eyebrows knitted together, eyes drifting across the room to one of Phil’s many dying house plants. Phil had felt so awkward that he changed the subject before Dan even had a chance to comment on it.

 

It was one thing that Dan even remembered that small fact despite them never speaking of it again. But it was a whole other for him to go out of his way to buy something like this for Phil _and_ say that Phil could use them on him.

 

So, it was at the fountain with a box of tarot cards in his hand, that he realized he was head over heels for his best friend.

 

* * *

 

Dan was on a date.

 

He hadn’t even had to tell Phil it was for him to just _know._

 

He rarely saw him get so flustered, so giddy, about going to an overpriced Italian restaurant on a Friday night. He definitely had never seen him dress up like he had just for dinner before. And Dan, most certainly, had never spent an hour in Phil’s room practically have a nervous breakdown over Italian food.

 

Phil had done his best to ease Dan’s nerves, ignoring the pang of jealous constantly shooting through his chest. It wasn’t like Phil had a right to complain. He’d had plenty of time to ask Dan out, if he had worked up the nerves. Who was he to tell Dan he couldn’t go on a date? It was ridiculous that he was getting upset over some pretty, redheaded art student that he’d never even met just because Dan was buying her dinner.

 

But, despite how ridiculous it was, Phil was jealous. He was _so_ jealous that it was almost concerning. He’d spent the last 45 minutes after Dan ran out the door pacing around his room, mumbling under his breath, and generally looking like a crazy person, before he decided he needed to get some fresh air and calm down.

 

It was only natural he ended up in front of an obscure magic shop he’d stumbled on about a year ago. It was small, off the street, and barely noticeable unless you knew where to look. A mass of vines and flowers crawled up the bricks next to the door, intertwining with the metal sign that said “Tia’s.”

 

He’d only come across it by accident but he was so glad he did. Even when he still lived at home, his family had been close with quite a lot of witches and other magic users. Phil had never seen any of them at work, but who was he to doubt their abilities when he dabbled in something similar? Naturally, that made Tia’s a place that felt as close to home as possible without actually going home.

 

The bell on the door chimed as he stepped in the dimly lit room. The smell of lavender wafted through the air, drawing Phil to the back where he knew Tia herself was. She always was.

 

“Boy troubles?” She called out, before Phil even had a chance to take a few steps forward.

 

He weaved his way around the tables of gems and tea leaves, stopping short when he saw Tia sitting atop the counter.  She smiled down at him, her ruby red lips curving up into her cheeks.

 

“How’d you know?”

 

Tia had only tutted, tossing the mass of black curls over her shoulder, as she hopped to the floor. She stood about a foot shorter than Phil, but somehow he always felt small.

 

“I didn’t, but I do now.”

 

Phil followed as she made her way to the back. A plush purple couch was pushed against the wall and she promptly sat down on it, patting the seat next to her for Phil to take.

 

“Talk to me, love. You seem stressed.”

 

Rummaging through the bowl of rocks and gems on the table, she pulled out a smooth purple one and placed it in Phil’s palm. Instinctively, he clasped his hand around it with a sigh. Then he spilled everything. From the first time he met Dan to the fact he was out with some girl tonight. By the time he was finished, he was breathless and red in the face.

 

“Oh dear, unrequited love can be so problematic. You already know what I’m going to suggest.”

 

Phil nodded, because he did. Tia was very pro-love spells, despite their dangerous nature. He’d heard her talk many times about casting them for others. But for the first time, he actually found himself considering it. There had to be a low level one. One that wouldn’t make Dan totally head over heels, but would sort of push him in Phil’s direction.

 

“I can do that. Not every love spell has to be so extreme.”

 

It had taken Phil a while to get used to the fact he sometimes didn’t need to speak for Tia to know what he was thinking and sometimes it bothered him. But, in this case, he almost preferred it. Admitting he wanted to cast a love spell on his best friend out loud sounded crazier than it did in his head. He found himself nodding, mumbling a quick ‘okay’.

 

Tia had gone to retrieve the things she needed and when she came back, it was cast.

 

* * *

 

An abrupt knock on Phil’s door woke him up the next morning. He jolted awake, nearly falling out of his blue and green sheets and to the floor. He groaned, stumbling out of bed, ready to kill whatever person on his floor that dared to wake him up when it was still dark outside.

 

But when he opened the door, it wasn’t someone from his floor at all. It was Dan. A very breathless, rosy cheeked Dan.   _Dan “I don’t get up before 8 AM, even when I have a class” Howell._

 

He held a to-go cup from Starbuck’s in one hand and brown paper bag in the other. The smile he shot Phil was almost blinding.

 

“Goodmorning, Philly.”

 

Dan didn’t hesitate to come inside, brushing past him gently, the feeling of his skin leaving tingles against Phil’s. He took a seat on the chair in front of Phil’s desk and held the Starbuck’s out expectantly.

 

“What… Why are you awake? It’s – “ Phil took a moment to glance at his clock and his eyes nearly fell out of his head when he saw the time. “ – 6 AM!”

 

His brain wasn’t functioning yet, still riddled with sleep and his weird dream about cats and an amusement park. Dan shrugged, dangling the bag closer to Phil, who reluctantly took it.

 

“You have a test in like two hours. Your brain works better when you eat and I know _you_ work better when you’ve had caffeine.”

 

Dan was staring at him like he held the world in his hands. His head was propped in his hand, tipped slightly, as a lazy smile spread across his lips. It looked like he was perpetually stuck in a very good daydream. Phil found himself stuttering over his words.

 

“Uh, yeah, I’m surprised you remembered that. Thanks.”

 

“Anything for you.”

 

Now Phil was really blushing. He could feel his face heating up and he quickly turned away, pretending to look for his glasses on the nightstand. Was this how Dan was when he was interested in someone? Tia said the spell wouldn’t change much about how they acted. Maybe he was just half asleep. Yeah, he’d go with that.

 

When he turned back around, Dan was _still_ staring at him. He stayed that way until Phil had to leave for class.

 

* * *

 

 

Dan seemed to be everywhere Phil was all week. He was there after every class, causing him to miss a few of his own. He was there during every break, every step, every turn.  Every day when they were done with classes, Dan seemed to be one step ahead of Phil – always by his door with dinner in his hands by the time Phil managed to make it up the stairs. Phil literally couldn’t shake him. He was always a few steps away, batting his eyelashes and staring longingly in his direction.

 

He had also gotten extremely touchy. His hand lingered on Phil’s arm when they were talking, he had started to guide Phil by the small of his back. He’d even brushed his hair out of his face quite a few times. All of which, had resulted in Phil becoming a blushing mess.

 

Phil wasn’t purposefully trying to ignore Dan. He genuinely had a busy day. It wasn’t his fault that he couldn’t pay as much attention to him as Dan wanted.  He did feel a little guilty though. The hurt look that crossed Dan’s face everytime he had to brush him off throughout the day was burned into his mind and no matter how hard he tried to shake it, Phil just couldn’t. 

 

It was late in the evening by the time Phil managed to make it back to his room. He hadn’t seen Dan at all since after lunch and it was almost a relief – even with the guilt. Which is why Phil internalized a groan when he saw Dan was already waiting by the door. He had a frown on his face, arms folded across himself as he slumped against the wall.

 

“Where have you been all afternoon?”

 

“I had some stuff to do…” Good enough answer, Phil thought. Apparently not.

 

Dan’s face contorted into an annoyed expression, eyes narrowing harshly in Phil’s direction. It was almost enough to make Phil sweat despite the blast of AC in the hallway.

 

“Who are they?” Dan asked.

 

“What? Who is who?”

 

“Who are you replacing me with? God, I knew I wasn’t good enough for you. I am _so_ stupid.”

 

Dan’s eyes were welling up with tears and Phil found himself stuck between the desire to cringe away and wrap Dan up in his arms. His willpower was weak, so he chose the latter. An audible gasp left Dan’s lips as he was pulled into Phil’s chest, his head landed softly against his shoulder. Tears were seeping into Phil’s shirt as he ran his hand through the back of Dan’s hair, but he genuinely found that he didn’t care.

 

“No one could ever replace you, okay? You’re not stupid and if anything, you’re too good for me. Please, don’t forget that, yeah? It’s okay.”

 

“But –“ Dan started, before Phil shushed him again. Phil couldn’t deny the warm feeling coursing through his chest as Dan’s fingers tightened around the back of his shirt, the way his head fit so perfectly against his shoulder. It wasn’t like they _never_ hugged, but it wasn’t often and they were always short. But, despite the circumstances, this was nice. Against his better judgement, Phil pulled away. He smiled softly at Dan, running his thumb across his cheek where a stray tear clung.

 

“Wanna come in? I have Netflix and popcorn waiting for us.”

 

That was all it took for Dan’s eyes to sparkle, nodding eagerly. He looped his hand through Phil’s and tugged him into the room. And for a brief moment, Phil didn’t feel so bad about the spell.

 

* * *

 

“Phil, are you busy tonight?”

 

Dan had popped up out of nowhere again. The black hoodie he was wearing fell off one shoulder and Phil felt his eyes lingering on his collarbone. He jerked his attention back to Dan’s face.

 

“Uh, yeah actually. I have to do a project with Ian.”

 

“Ian?” Dan frowned. His face scrunched into an annoyed expression as he looked away, arms folding across his chest. “Oh.”

 

Phil laughed, albeit it awkwardly, and sighed.

 

“You can come over after, yeah?”

 

Immediately Dan perked up. His frown flipped into a dimpled smile, arms looping around Phil’s shoulders for a fraction of a second. Phil was in too much shock to move. Dan Howell very rarely hugged.

 

“Okay, I’ll be waiting.”

 

And with that, Dan had almost literally skipped away.

 -

 

Apparently Dan had meant waiting literally. It shouldn’t have surprised him. Phil had barely had a chance to get to his door when he saw Dan sitting on the ground next to it. He had changed from his black hoodie to an aqua blue t-shirt that Phil immediately recognized as his own.

 

“Phil!” Dan shot off the floor so fast that Phil’s flight or fight instincts almost kicked in and caused him to run away. “I missed you.”

 

“Y-You did?” Phil struggled with his keys in the door, the metal clanking together obnoxiously. Dan slipped his hand on top of his and guided the key in, a fond smile on his face.

 

“Yeah, duh.”

 

They’d spent the night watching Netflix. And by watching Netflix, Phil meant that Dan stared at him the whole time while he fought to keep his eyes glued to his laptop screen. It had gotten quite late by the time Dan looked away. He was staring at the wall, eyes narrowed in thought, before he abruptly turned back to Phil and blurted out,

 

“I’m in love with you.”

 

Phil, naturally, choked on the drink he had just taken a sip of. His eyes widened and he almost found himself shaking his head. This was _extreme._ This wasn’t a push in the right direction. Whatever Tia had cast on Dan had changed his mindset about Phil completely.

 

Phil watched Dan’s resolve fade. It was strange to see the usually composed Daniel Howell falling into a nervous panic. His face was shifting between a million different emotions, eventually ending on a very confused anxious expression Phil had never seen before. Dan backed away, blinking his eyes like he was attempting to blink away tears.

 

_Oh._ He _was_ blinking away tears.

 

He shook his head, nearly falling off the bed in the process of attempting get up. Phil found himself reaching for him, but for the first time that day, Dan jerked away like Phil’s touch would burn.

 

“I – I need to go.”

 

“Dan, wait –“

 

But he didn’t wait. He was already out the door and down the hallway before Phil had a chance to even fully comprehend the situation.

 

* * *

 

 

Needless to say, Phil didn’t sleep much that night. He tried texting Dan numerous times only to get no reply. The messages weren’t even marked as read. It was beginning to worry Phil quite a bit. Magic in itself was something dangerous, but love spells were even more so. He was such an idiot to think this was a good idea.

 

Hopping out of his bed, Phil grabbed his jacket. He was going to go to Dan’s room and see if he was okay or not. It was seriously the least he could do at this point.

 

“G’morning.”

 

Phil barely had opened his door all the way before Dan was stepping inside. His hair was damp, water droplets running down the side of his face and absorbing into the grey fabric of his shirt. Just like the first time he’d shown up, he had Starbuck’s. A cup in each hand.

 

“It’s raining hard as fuck.”

 

“Uh, is it?”

 

Phil didn’t even realize he had taken the cup until he felt the warmth sinking into his palms. He dropped his eyes to look at it before looking up at Dan again. He had taken a seat on Phil’s bed, ankles hooked over each other and back against the wall. He was looking up at Phil through his eyelashes, head titled just a bit to the right. It was the epitome of a middle school crush staring across the classroom, wistful and full of daydreams. The totally opposite of the panic Dan had been showing last night.

 

He patted the blanket next to him, fully expecting Phil to sit there – which he did. He was desperately trying not to think about how Dan had acted last night.

 

Dan’s long fingers intertwined with Phil’s, pulling both their hands to rest on his thigh. His thumb was tracing circles against the back of Phil’s hand repetitively. Every so often, he’d raise the cups to his lips, but it seemed Dan was comfortable with the silence. He seemed relaxed. His eyes had fallen shut, head tipped back against the wall.

 

Now Phil was the one staring.

 

This had been what he wanted. He had wanted Dan to love him, his attention. He had wanted to spend mornings like these together, in a comfortable silence just enjoying each other’s presence. Looking back, Phil realized he’d had that all along. They’d always spent mornings together, there was never a need for conversation. Dan had always been willing to give Phil his undivided attention – no matter what. Phil had just been too blinded by the absence of a label to see that. This amped up, love sick version of Dan wasn’t what he wanted at all. The mantra ‘be careful what you wish for’ popped into his mind and he squinted his eyes shut in frustration. He had possibly ruined the only good thing in his life by not realizing how good it was before he messed with it.

 

When he finally opened his eyes, he was met with Dan’s. A worried expression covered his face.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

Phil silently shook his head, bringing the back of Dan’s hand up to his lips and kissing it gently.

 

“Nothing. Want me to walk you to class? I have an umbrella.”

 

* * *

 

“ _Tia!_ ”

 

“Uh-oh. What’s up?”

 

Phil had practically knocked the door down as he came inside the shop, tripping over the stack of books on the floor. He couldn’t even bring himself to care. Tia stood on a stool, her hair pulled into a messy bun on the top of her head. She looked down at Phil with a frown.

 

“I need to get the love spell off Dan.”

 

“Oh dear. What’s going on?”

 

Phil explained everything, detail by detail, while Tia sat off to the side listening. She hummed casually throughout the whole conversation and her nonchalance was starting wear on Phil’s patience.

 

“Phil, I told you love spells are tricky. Even little ones like his.”

 

“I don’t care,” He couldn’t stop himself from running a hand through his hair, sighing, “I just want it to be back to normal.”

 

“There aren’t a lot of options here, love. I can take it off, but it’s a process and there’s a chance he’ll forget all about you and you two will have to start over again.”

 

Phil didn’t like that one at all. He shook his head without even thinking about it.

 

“Or, we could do the opposite of a love spell and see if that cancelled it out. It might mess with the emotions a bit for a few days, but it’s a possibility… And he’ll still remember you. Downside? He might also remember the whole love spell ordeal.”

 

That one sounded better. He could deal with an emotional rollercoaster if it meant that Dan didn’t forget him entirely. Seeing his acceptance, Tia placed a large book in his hands. The cover was red, torn and scratched, a sticker with Tia’s familiar handwriting across the front : _‘In case you messed something up.’_

 

In any other situation, Phil might have found that funny. But he was too focused on the situation at hand to care.

 

“You have to do it if it’s going to work.” Tia half smiled at Phil’s pained expression before she continued. “I know you don’t venture on the side of magic, but since the love spell was from you… This one has to be, too.”

 

Looking down at the book, Phil frowned. There was a brown leather bookmark in the middle, marking page 125, and Phil flipped it open. The pages fluttered to a stop and Phil’s heart sank at the words on the top of the page.

“A hate spell?”

 

“That’s opposite of love, is it not?”

 

He lightly traced his fingers over the word hate, restraining himself from physically recoiling. It would balance out. It _had_ to balance out.

 

“Yeah, I guess it is.”

 

* * *

 

 

Phil did exactly as the book told him. Tia provided him with a set of white, black, and red stones and matching candles – the exact colors and sizes that book mentioned. He started the spell at the right time and he was definitely saying the correct words. But why did he feel so hesitant? With a single breathe, he blew the last candle out and ended to spell with the closing words of “Consummatum Est.” It was Latin for something, but Phil couldn’t be bothered to remember.

 

He was worried now.

 

_'Love and hate are opposites. They cancel each other out. But, that being said, I’m not sure if one of the spells will take precedents over the other. From what you’ve told me, love, this Dan? He’s not going to hate you.’_

 

But what if he did?

 

_'If this works correctly, there’s a high chance he’ll remember a lot of this past week. Are you planning to explain it to him or no?’_

 

Deep down, Phil knew he should. Dan had a right to know about everything that had happened this week. But what would happen then? Dan had a temper, Phil already knew that, but he’d never been on the receiving end of his anger. He deserved to be, but that didn’t mean he wanted it.

 

_‘Let him come to you. Don’t seek him out.’_

 

That last one was the hardest for Phil. He wanted nothing more than to run around the campus until he found Dan and see if anything had happened. The stress of not knowing was eating him alive, but he had to wait. Dan would come when the time was right… hopefully.

 

It had been almost a full 24 hours before Phil heard from Dan in any context. It was the longest they’d gone without talking to each other since Phil took a family vacation to the mountains and didn’t have cell reception and Phil had been freaking out the whole time. He was sure that he’d managed to mess something up. Maybe the words hadn’t come out right, maybe the order was messed up with the candles.

 

Maybe Dan just hated him now.

 

Judging by the look Dan was giving him from where he sat on the fountain, that looked like it might be the likely scenario.

 

They both stayed still, staring at each other from a distance. Dan’s eyes were narrowed, his expression tight. In this moment, he reminded Phil of a statue. Mainly because he was sitting perfectly still. But also, because he was still beautiful – much like a lot of statues that stood throughout art museums.

 

Phil was apprehensive. He was practically bouncing from foot to foot, chewing on his bottom lip like it may as well have been a piece of gum. Dan’s eyes narrowed one last time before he looked away, turning his head completely away from where Phil stood.

 

It felt like his heart had fallen completely out of his chest and shattered on the sidewalk below. His body turned on autopilot, all the sounds around him changing to a dull buzz, as he walked away. His tunnel vision was ignoring everyone around him and simply focusing on _getting the hell out of there._

 

“Where are you going?”  A hand clamped on his shoulder, stopping him dead in his tracks, and he glanced back to find Dan looking extremely hurt standing behind him.

 

The hurt in his tone sent a knife straight to Phil’s heart. But, he couldn’t deny the happiness bubbling up inside him either. Dan _didn’t_ hate him.

 

“Uh… Coffee?” He paused, “Wanna come?”

 

Dan perked up. His eyes sparkled in the sunlight, the gold flecks immediately becoming more prominent as he nodded his head. The expression was so similar to how he looked at Phil while he was under the love spell that it made his heart flip. Except now it was genuinely Dan looking at him that way.

 

“Duh.”

 

Much to Phil’s surprise, Dan looped his hand around his with a grin and began walking towards the Starbuck’s down the street. He wondered briefly if the love spell didn’t go away.

 

“Hey Phil?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“If you wanted to go out with me so much all you had to do was ask. A love spell is kinda... I dunno."

 

Phil nearly died on the spot. He hadn't expected Dan to be so blunt about it, nor had he expected him to bring it up so soon. It left him stammering over his words, awkwardly trying to grasp anything to explain himself. Dan's eyebrow shot up, watching him in amusement.

 

"Can that just count as an extreme form of asking, please?" is what Phil finally settled on, cheeks flaring up before he finished the sentence.

 

Dan had just laughed, bumping instead Phil's side. 

"I don't see why not."


End file.
